United States Heating
How much does it cost to run an electric blanket?
An electric blanket is one of the cheapest ways to be warm because it heats you, not the room. A double blanket is rated around 100 watts and spends about half the night switched off by its thermostat.
A 100 watt electric blanket costs about 0.9 cents an hour to run in the US on average at 18.16 cents per kWh. Running it 8 hours a day cycling 50% of the time comes to about 7.3 cents a day, $2.21 a month and $26.53 a year.
- Prices: EIA, August 2026, every state
- Wattage range with its source
- Checked 26 October 2026
Uses 0.40 kWh a day, 12 kWh a month, at 18.16 cents per kWh (US average).
The dial places the daily cost between a 50 watt fan and a 4.5 kW water heater on 2.5 hours a day.
A 100 watt electric blanket costs about 0.9 cents an hour to run in the US on average at 18.16 cents per kWh. Running it 8 hours a day cycling 50% of the time comes to about 7.3 cents a day, $2.21 a month and $26.53 a year.
What this assumes
The default is a 100 watt electric blanket running 8 hours a day, drawing full power 50% of the time it is switched on (the rest of the time a thermostat or sensor has it idle). Published typical ratings run from 50 to 200 watts. Your label or manual gives the exact figure, and the calculator takes it.
The price is the average residential rate in each state from the EIA's Electric Power Monthly for August 2026, released 23 October 2026. The next monthly table is due 24 November 2026. A fixed tariff, a time-of-use plan or a different payment method changes the rate, which is why the rate field is editable.
Cost to run an electric blanket in every state
Same 100 watt electric blanket, 8 hours a day, priced at each state's average residential rate for August 2026. Cheapest: Nevada at 12.72 cents per kWh. Dearest: Hawaii at 47.18. Change the numbers above and the table follows.
| State | Rate | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72c | 0.6 cents | 5.1 cents | $1.55 | $18.58 |
| Louisiana | 12.87c | 0.6 cents | 5.1 cents | $1.57 | $18.80 |
| North Dakota | 13.31c | 0.7 cents | 5.3 cents | $1.62 | $19.45 |
| Utah | 13.31c | 0.7 cents | 5.3 cents | $1.62 | $19.45 |
| Idaho | 13.37c | 0.7 cents | 5.3 cents | $1.63 | $19.53 |
| Tennessee | 13.42c | 0.7 cents | 5.4 cents | $1.63 | $19.61 |
| Nebraska | 13.54c | 0.7 cents | 5.4 cents | $1.65 | $19.78 |
| Kentucky | 13.8c | 0.7 cents | 5.5 cents | $1.68 | $20.16 |
| Arkansas | 14.37c | 0.7 cents | 5.7 cents | $1.75 | $20.99 |
| Mississippi | 14.43c | 0.7 cents | 5.8 cents | $1.76 | $21.08 |
| Wyoming | 14.43c | 0.7 cents | 5.8 cents | $1.76 | $21.08 |
| Washington | 14.63c | 0.7 cents | 5.9 cents | $1.78 | $21.37 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82c | 0.7 cents | 5.9 cents | $1.80 | $21.65 |
| North Carolina | 14.95c | 0.7 cents | 6 cents | $1.82 | $21.84 |
| Florida | 14.99c | 0.7 cents | 6 cents | $1.83 | $21.90 |
| Arizona | 15.05c | 0.8 cents | 6 cents | $1.83 | $21.99 |
| South Dakota | 15.15c | 0.8 cents | 6.1 cents | $1.84 | $22.13 |
| Kansas | 15.47c | 0.8 cents | 6.2 cents | $1.88 | $22.60 |
| Montana | 15.57c | 0.8 cents | 6.2 cents | $1.90 | $22.75 |
| South Carolina | 15.76c | 0.8 cents | 6.3 cents | $1.92 | $23.03 |
| Georgia | 15.9c | 0.8 cents | 6.4 cents | $1.94 | $23.23 |
| Texas | 15.91c | 0.8 cents | 6.4 cents | $1.94 | $23.24 |
| Oregon | 15.92c | 0.8 cents | 6.4 cents | $1.94 | $23.26 |
| Missouri | 16.02c | 0.8 cents | 6.4 cents | $1.95 | $23.41 |
| West Virginia | 16.31c | 0.8 cents | 6.5 cents | $1.99 | $23.83 |
| Alabama | 16.33c | 0.8 cents | 6.5 cents | $1.99 | $23.86 |
| New Mexico | 16.51c | 0.8 cents | 6.6 cents | $2.01 | $24.12 |
| Indiana | 17.02c | 0.9 cents | 6.8 cents | $2.07 | $24.87 |
| Iowa | 17.06c | 0.9 cents | 6.8 cents | $2.08 | $24.92 |
| Colorado | 17.17c | 0.9 cents | 6.9 cents | $2.09 | $25.09 |
| Minnesota | 17.2c | 0.9 cents | 6.9 cents | $2.09 | $25.13 |
| Virginia | 17.64c | 0.9 cents | 7.1 cents | $2.15 | $25.77 |
| Delaware | 18.7c | 0.9 cents | 7.5 cents | $2.28 | $27.32 |
| Illinois | 19.32c | 1 cent | 7.7 cents | $2.35 | $28.23 |
| Ohio | 19.38c | 1 cent | 7.8 cents | $2.36 | $28.31 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41c | 1 cent | 7.8 cents | $2.36 | $28.36 |
| Maryland | 21.4c | 1.1 cents | 8.6 cents | $2.61 | $31.27 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77c | 1.1 cents | 8.7 cents | $2.65 | $31.81 |
| Michigan | 22.99c | 1.1 cents | 9.2 cents | $2.80 | $33.59 |
| Vermont | 23.84c | 1.2 cents | 9.5 cents | $2.90 | $34.83 |
| Connecticut | 24.51c | 1.2 cents | 9.8 cents | $2.98 | $35.81 |
| New Jersey | 24.61c | 1.2 cents | 9.8 cents | $3.00 | $35.96 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98c | 1.3 cents | 10 cents | $3.16 | $37.96 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64c | 1.4 cents | 11 cents | $3.37 | $40.38 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18c | 1.4 cents | 11 cents | $3.43 | $41.17 |
| New York | 28.65c | 1.4 cents | 11 cents | $3.49 | $41.86 |
| Alaska | 29.41c | 1.5 cents | 12 cents | $3.58 | $42.97 |
| California | 29.75c | 1.5 cents | 12 cents | $3.62 | $43.46 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48c | 1.5 cents | 12 cents | $3.71 | $44.53 |
| Maine | 32.11c | 1.6 cents | 13 cents | $3.91 | $46.91 |
| Hawaii | 47.18c | 2.4 cents | 19 cents | $5.74 | $68.93 |
Rates: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, residential sector, August 2026, preliminary. All rates with the year-on-year change.
How an electric blanket uses electricity
Single blankets are typically 50 to 70 watts, doubles and kings 100 to 200 watts with two zones. The rated power is only drawn while the heating wire is on, and most modern blankets cycle on a thermostat, so the average draw is about half the rating.
An hour of a 100 watt blanket at half duty is 0.05 kWh. Eight hours is 0.4 kWh, roughly the same energy as running a 1,500 watt heater for 16 minutes.
Ways to cut the cost
- Pre-heat the bed for 20 minutes and then turn it down to the lowest setting.
- A heated throw on the sofa does the same job as a room heater for a fraction of the cost.
Questions people ask
Is an electric blanket cheaper than a space heater?
By a very wide margin. A 100 watt blanket at half duty uses about 0.05 kWh an hour. A 1,500 watt heater at three quarters duty uses about 1.1 kWh an hour, over twenty times more.
How much does it cost to leave an electric blanket on all night?
Eight hours of a 100 watt blanket at half duty is about 0.4 kWh. Multiply by your unit rate: at 18 cents that is about 7 cents, at 26p it is about 10p.
Other heating costs
More in the US
Sources
The electricity price on this page is read from the data file that also lists the release it came from. The wattage range is a published typical range, not a measurement of your appliance.